May 13, 2011

Omar Vizquel, snake handler

… Vizquel can often be found on his computer. and Wednesday was no different. He was showing Paul Konerko a video. I had heard about it and wanted to see it firsthand.The video shows a nature guide on the grassy edge of a body of water.

“This is in Venezuela,” Vizquel explains proudly.

The guide steps into the murky water and pulls out an Anaconda, the snake has wrapped itself around a turtle.

“See, it’s a young one,” Vizquel explains. The guide pulls the snake out onto a dirt road.

Suddenly, Vizquel enters the frame. He holds the 10-foot snake by it’s tail as the guide tries to hold it’s head down.

“Don’t hurt it,” Vizquel says on camera and the shortstop/naturalist moves closer to the snake’s head.

“Have you ever done this before?” Konerko asks his teammate as the video rolls.

“No, but I’ve seen it on TV,” Vizquel answers.

And as you watch, Vizquel sneaks up behind the angry snake, crouching down like he is about to steal second, and BANG, grabs the snake behind its head. The snake writhers around his arm, jaws open, looking for something to bite.

“It’s nervous, it’s scared,” Vizquel explains.

On camera, the snake slowly relaxes, realizing it cannot move.

“See, it looked up and realized Omar Vizquel had caught it,” Konerko laughed. “It was in safe hands.”